Salary waiver and its tax implications

Numerous laws apply in Germany for the taxation of your earned income and its treatment in your annual tax return. What if you, as an employee, have to do without part of your salary? Is this part still taxable or not?

Do you have to indicate it in the tax return? The following is a short, easy to understand answer to this question.

When is it really considered as a salary waiver?

A salary waiver is when an employee definitively waives part of his or her salary. This means that his claim to this part of his income is immediately eliminated by abandoning it and is irreversibly lost. In this case, this part of the labor income is therefore no longer subject to income tax, since you have never actually received it and it has not been used elsewhere by you.

When it is not considered a genuine salary waiver

If you have parts of your salary or wage used by your employer to provide you insurance or similar benefits, then no real salary waiver is given. Although the amount will not be paid to you with the rest of the salary, it will continue to be used with your knowledge and in your favor. In this respect, this part is also subject to wage and income tax and must also be reported as income in the tax return.

If you have any further questions regarding salary waivers in your tax return, contact a tax advisor or an income tax assistance union for professional assistance. The costs of such services can be deducted in the following year as tax consulting costs.